The prison at the bottom of the sea
Shadows crept through the corners of the hidden castle at the bottom of the sea. Due to the lack of light, strange luminous substances had been filled in round glasses, the equivalent of torches in the world above the water. Hye Qian studied the red smoky cloud in front of her. It had taken hours to extract the soul out of the Magic Cube. The Assassin had been quite surprised to learn that it really was Yan Da's soul, although she seemed oddly different, having a far more powerful spirit than the young Fire Queen she despised so much. Hye had only been capable of pulling her out of the dream source because the soul was asleep. Whoever had put that Yan Da in the Magic Cube had not forced her, she had put herself in it willingly. Strange, I would really like to know what this is all about… Carefully, she wove her magic. Her thoughts connected to the sleeping Yan Da ... and bounced back. Intensive feelings of a long lifetime flooded the assassin's mind through the thin thread of their contact. From what Hye Qian felt, she could assume that Yan Da had not had an easy life, for her soul was in turmoil even in her sleep. What are you dreaming of? What did you fail at? Who hurt you, and how did you die? Once I know your dreams, I will turn you into a resource of constant pain and despair. When I'm done with you, you will be a perfect weapon to that despicable last offspring of the Fire Tribe, and I'll finally get the revenge for all my dead sisters and my Queen. With these thoughts she took out the red and white Whisper Shell and puffed into it. The rising gray smoke reached up like a finger, and spun a braid around the lonely red soul.
The wind was howling over Cherry Blossom Island. Xian Xue stood at the cliffs and watched out. From his position he could see miles of water surrounding the beautiful small island. He had been flying for days, searching for a sign of the Mermaid Clan's Floating Palace, but it stayed hidden to his eyes. When he jumped again in the air to transform his tired body, he felt a stinging pain in his chest. He could hardly breathe, as one single high-pitched cry echoed in the deep of his soul. Abruptly, he sank back to the ground, collapsing on the harsh rock, already unconscious before his head hit the ground.
Light played with the red glass lamps in the windows, the morning sun leaving ruby-colored sprinkles on the floor and the walls of their bedroom. Ying Kong Shi was awake and registered every little movement of Yan Da, who was halfway lying on top of him. She was still asleep, but the corners of her mouth were drawn up in a fine smile. Gently he brushed her cheek with his white elegant fingers. Her alabaster skin glowed in the sun, and the golden, black and white strands of her hair made her look like an enchanted fairytale princess. His heart was strangely moved. He felt so vulnerable. It was nothing new to him to love her, but it was new for him to allow this love, and not control and suppress it. Like a leaf following the wind, he had spent his lifetime setting his goals for the sake of his brother, and each time fate had given him a blow in her direction. As if to tell him to open his eyes and look at her, who turned out to be his soulmate after all.
Yan Da, how I wish your memories could stay lost. You spent thousands of years locked away in your own body because of me. It's better and far more peaceful for us the way it is now. A lot of what went wrong in our lives, to you it has not happened yet. I would really like to spare you the sorrows you had to endure under Yan Zhu's control. But how can I let down your other you, the one who sacrificed herself for me? I need to find a way to protect you both. He leaned in and kissed her forehead. When her eyes opened, they shared a loving smile. Yan Da slowly lifted her hand, and pinched his cheek, turning his smile in a broad grin, as they both indulged in the memories of their first encounter. Words weren't needed when his smile turned out of a sudden in a beautiful carefree laughter and he grabbed and tickled her. Yan Da joined in his laughter as she tried to shield her body with a pillow. She was so happy hearing that sound. Was it really the first time she saw him laughing out loud? All the burdens of the past floated away as light as feathers and dissolved in the light of their first morning together. A pillow burst as she threw it at Ying Kong Shi. His upper body was soon covered with white goose feathers. "Now you look almost like Xian Xue. A real bird you are!" Yan Da teased him. The Ice Prince cocked his head with mock seriousness. "If I look like a Snow bird, then what are you?" An erotic smile emerged on his face that left her breathless. "Didn't you decide last night to build a nest with this bird and become its partner?" Yan Da's eyes softened, she put her hand gently on his feather-covered chest, and felt his strong, vibrant heartbeat. "It doesn't matter what shape you take on. I will always love you. I can do anything for you, even if it means I have to turn into a bird one day. I wonder what kind of bird you would like me to be."
There it was again, that little smile only he was capable of, followed by that typical blinking of his eyes. Yan Da knew long ago that it was his way of hiding the deep emotions her words caused in his heart. Yan Da touched his cheek to comfort him. She was so used to see him acting like this, always avoiding to show others his true feelings. After all, even a happy Ying Kong Shi stayed Ying Kong Shi. "How is it? Do you wish the female bird to do its duty to ensure the proper warmth in the nest?" His gaze came back to her, gliding over her face, and then further down. His hands sliding up her thighs left no doubt what he wanted. When he grabbed her buttocks tight and switched their positions with force, she felt a hot, rising pleasure that gathered between her legs. Ying Kong Shi's eyes showed a hungry expression when he pinned her to the mattress and, without further adoe, he rubbed her there with his long fingers. He gasped when he felt her wetness. Impossible! How do I deserve her to be so responsive towards me? He passionately leaned forward to kiss his queen. Then, His eyes fixed on hers, Ying Kong Shi positioned his body between Yan Da's legs and entered her with a swift movement. Where Yan Da had experienced his love-making of the past night to be sensual, he now behaved far more possessive. And she loved it.
His male dominance made her almost come with his first thrusts. Yan Da melted in with his wild passion and followed his delicate roughness by challengingly bite into his lips, his neck and shoulder muscles. He reacted in a wolfish way, nearly growling and burrying her under his body. His movements became deeper and more longing, as he stretched her insides to a splendid maximum. When he even lifted her legs to itensify his penetrations, Yan Da's climax rolled over her like a thunder, soon followed by him pouring his seed into her. Yan Da screamed out in pleasure. She couldn't control it, as her creational power radiated from her, flowing into him in an equal exchange. When she collapsed in his arms with a sigh, Ying Kong Shi stared at her in wonder. He pulled her close to his chest, and inhaled their smell while waiting for his heart to stop racing.
His gaze fell on the sheet. It was a mess. Clearly he had taken Yan Da's virginity yesterday, her blood and his seed had left proving marks on the white fabric. It made him smile. "What's on your mind?" She asked him, wrapping her arms lazily around his neck. "When I encountered you the first time, you showed such a confidence in your body and your effect on men, that you really intimidated me. Back then, I thought that you had to be experienced in love-making. Now I know that you saved yourself all along. It may sound stupid, but it makes me feel very happy that it's still us that can discover physical love together." Yan Da didn't answer. Instead, her eyes became focused on something he couldn't see. Her hands reached for her chest, and her facial expression changed from surprise to pain. Confused, he touched her arm. "Yan Da, what is it?" With shaking hands, she put her hand over her mouth. "No, no no no. Ying Kong Shi, I think Xian Xue is not alright." Suddenly a dark feeling crept through him, too, like a spear in his chest and his head. But he realized that he was neither the ultimate target nor the source of this pain. Yan Da jumped out of the bed to grab for a small box lying on the nearby shelf. I was the box the Snow Bird Spirit had given to her as her coronation gift.
When she took the writing feather out of it and wrote the ancestor some words on a paper scroll, she received no answer. "He promised he would always respond quickly," she said in a choking voice. „Can you find him?" Ying Kong Shi nodded. In a great hurry they got dressed. Then he took her hand. Both disappeared in his whirling black smoke, and were gone in seconds.
"Huang Tuo, Can you meet us at Cherry Blossom Island? We think that Xian Xue is somewhere around, and we have reasons to believe that he may be hurt." "Your majesty, I'm on my way. Shall I bring the others, too?" "Yes, do it, we will wait for you here. We fill you in with more detailed information when you've arrived." The messenger owl scratched its head with its claws. Huang Tuo turned to Yue Shen, who carried a basket with herbs in her arm that she had helped him to gather outside of Snow Blade City. Huang Tuo sighed. "I'm afraid we have to go, my love." Yue Shen nodded understandingly and whistled for the horses.
Yan Da pulled Xian Xue's head onto her lap and examined the wound over his left temple. It hadn't taken long to find the old Snow Bird Spirit, as they'd both instinctively felt the connection to him and used it as guidance. However, it was Yan Da who showed greater skill at detecting Xian Xue than Ying Kong Shi. The Ice Prince secretly wondered about this. Why could it be that she connected so easily with his previous incarnation? Ying Kong Shi had felt the special ease and friendliness between the two since their first meeting, as if the Fire Queen and the Bird Spirit had known each other for a long time. Seeing her caring for him with such a tender attention gave him a stab to his heart. He took a deep breath and looked away. He didn't want her to see his hurt feelings. What right do I have to be jealous? Of course she feels that way for him, because he and I, aren't we the same? We are two manifestations of one soul that lived many lives. But his life and character are so different from me. Maybe something in Yan Da remembers him, longing for the version of me that behaved more friendly and caring towards her in the past.
Yan Da shot him a pleading look, and he quickly helped her to gather Xian Xue in a sitting position, his upper body leaning against the two of them. "It's just a cut. Why hasn't he woken up yet? What has he done here anyway? Do you know this place?" An image of him and Lan Shang standing on the cliffs of Cherry Blossom Island crossed his mind, and he felt shame and guilt rise in him again. Quickly, he suppressed the memory, and nodded. "This is Cherry Blossom Island, a sacred place of the Mermaid Tribe. I have no clue what his intention was to come here. I wonder if he was attacked by someone. I have ordered our friends to come to our help, Yue Shen will surely find out more about it." A little reassured, Yan Da grabbed Xian Xue's hand and held it tightly. Again, he noticed her deep compassion for his ancestor. There was concern and something else in Yan Da's voice. Fear?
Ying Kong Shi didn't have time to think about it when the Fire Queen suddenly grabbed the back of her neck and unleashed her spiritual power. Xian Xue's body was quickly enveloped in the colors of her magic. Fear started to fill Ying Kong Shi's heart. How far would his Queen go to protect the Bird Spirit? The Ice Prince looked down at his ancestor. He still remembered the feelings that Xian Xue had evoked in him when they first met in the Ice Fantasy World on day of his new beginning. He had felt trust and affection. Resolutely, Ying Kong Shi pushed all other thoughts aside and released his magic as well. I can't let you exhaust yourself right before your aptitude test, Yan Da. Please let me help you! He sensed her grateful spiritual approval, and together they took care of Xian Xue, who seemed strangely removed from them. His spiritual strength had withdrawn into the depths of his consciousness. Wherever he was, whatever he was doing, it had to be something immensely important that he had left his body unprotected. A dislocation portal opened close by, and their friends emerged from it. Huang Tuo quickly analysed the situation. Piang Feng and the leader of the Bear Clan, who had also joined, helped to transport Xian Xue back to the Ice Palace on a bar. Yue Shen was the only one left behind to search the surroundings with her keen perception.